The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of geranium, botanically known as Pelargonium domesticum, and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name ‘Surfing Lilac’. It is characterized by having a light purple flower color, upright growth habit and early maturation. The new cultivar originated from an open pollinated population of Pelargonium which consisted of one female Pelargonium line and approximately 100 male breeding lines in Kanegawa, Japan in 2001. The female parent breeding line is the publicly available Pelargonium variety ‘Surfing Purple’ (Japan PBR #11363, available in Japan). The male parent is an unnamed breeding line of unknown origin.
F1 seed from the hybridization was harvested from the female parent and sown in the greenhouse in 2001. F1 plants were observed and one plant was selected based on its light purple flower color, growth habit, early maturity, flower size, and multiple inflorescences per plant. The plant was then asexually propagated through cuttings in both Kanagawa, Japan and Salinas, Calif. The plant was further evaluated in the greenhouse from 2001 through 2003 to establish the uniformity and stability of its characteristics. The plant has been shown to reproduce true to type in successive generations of asexual propagation.